NFL Rumors: Green Bay Packers going after Jaylon Smith
Since his release yesterday, Jaylon Smith, the former Dallas Cowboys linebacker, has been the talk of the free agent wire — especially with Stephon Gilmore being traded away from the Patriots to the Carolina Panthers earlier in the day.
The former Pro Bowl linebacker became a casualty because of his salary as well as his declining play of late. The Cowboys recently tried to trade Smith but nothing came of it. They were able to cut Smith and avoid a guarantee of paying him $9.2 million dollars if he had become injured before the 2022 season.
But there is good news on the horizon for Smith. According to NFL analyst Ian Rapoport, the Green Bay Packers are reportedly making a push to sign the former second-round pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Keep an eye on the #Packers for former #Cowboys Pro Bowl LB Jaylon Smith, sources say. They are making a push. Coach Matt LaFleur was at Notre Dame with Smith and is a fan. Multiple teams are still in the mix, as well, and it’s not over yet.
Jaylon Smith to the Packers?
Although Rapoport mentions that there are other teams in the mix as well for the services of Jaylon Smith, he believes it's Packers fans and players alike who may need to be on the lookout to acquire him.
There is a connection here. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2014, the same year that Jaylon Smith starred as a junior at Notre Dame.
It was also in this season that Smith was given the Butkus Award, which is named after legendary linebacker Dick Butkus and is given to the nation's best linebacker.
If the Packers did decide to sign Smith, it could not have come at a better time. The team is already without star linebacker Za'Darius Smith, who recently underwent back surgery for a lingering injury. Star cornerback Jaire Alexander injured his shoulder in last week's win vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.
no bueno for jaire https://t.co/pxPGXxsLhm
LaFleur refused to provide a timetable as to when he expects Za'Darius Smith and Jaire Alexander to be available and was also unable to speak on whether or not each player is out for the remainder of the season.
Here's what coach LaFleur had to say when he was specifically asked about Za'Darius Smith's availability:
"Well, I hope so, but I don't really know with a lot of it. It just depends on how you heel. Certainly, we're hopeful, but that's a ways away."
Will the addition of Jaylon Smith put Green Bay ahead of the pack?
The Packers have already seen a vast turnaround in their season since their opening day debacle against the New Orleans Saints, a 38-3 loss. If they choose to sign Jaylon Smith, they could once again see themselves in the NFC championship game but with a different result.